Talking with the Russians.
There has been a significant development in this project as preparation are made for my mosaics. Though I do not have a contract to make them yet? Yesterday I spent a day working on the site with a guy who when I asked his name replied with, ‘The Russian’! In fact the most of the groundworks team employed on the road and paving on this part of the site were Russian. My job was to locate the position of these mosaics, so the sub-bases can be prepared.
Russia, I’m told by new collegue was a far far better place before Gorbechov and Peristroica. People were content, well fed and wanted for nothing, times were good.
I spent a lot of my day talking with the Russian who explained things started to change under Gorbochov and later Yeltsin. A guy had knocked on the door of my new friends business (which was food distribution; I dont remember that being Russia’s strong suit. I thought best to keep that thought to myself.) He was asked if he had a contractor to repair the roof of his warehouse? He replied no…why? I dont need my roof repaired?
‘Yes you do and it will cost hundreds and hundreds of dollors or rubels we dont mind, and you will have to pay us this month, next month and every month from now on, for us to repair your roof….Got it! In the end at the dissolution of Soviet Union it seems my friend brought his family to the UK as things had gone from bad to worse and even worse.
He told me he had nothing at all when he arrived in the UK. His brother said, ‘I will send you two containers on a ship. Containers full of thousands of sheets of the finest quality plywood, you can sell it and when you have sold it give back 25%. My friend said, I cant speak English I have no where to store the wood, no lorries to distribute it and thanks but I can’t do this.
Another guy was from Moldova and left because of fighting and war during the transition to independance.
I enjoyed The Russian’s company and he explained there were plenty of fine mosaics in Armenia where he had lived.
The Storey of the Wise King, The Castle Builder and the Magician
Then one day the magician phoned the castle builder to see if there was any news? Yes indeed said the castle builder agreements are signed and underway. The castle builder’s men were not leaving the land as the schedule implied, as things had slowed down and there was still much building to be done. The castle builder explained that there was a new King in the land now, and work was carrying on and agreements made to continue at last, to his great relief. The castle builder said the agreements for the magic plans would soon be sent and that could the magician ensure the builders were preparing correctly for the magic to follow.
Instead, the magician found himself looking at the adverts asking for new spells in other lands and some seemed very interesting indeed. Was the magician able the even remember the spells he had agreed to make after all this time; he could hardly remember them now? He wanted to make new spells in the exciting places he had read about.
The Storey of the Wise King, The Castle Builder and the Magician
Much time passed and the magician heard nothing from the castle builder and no revised letter ever arrived. The magician had heard the Castle Builder talking to the King asking again and again for agreements to be made. The King and the Castle Builder had conversations about making changes to the plans, schedules and the materials, but the magician did not always get news of the changing plans, and in the end the magician was powerless as sweeping changes were made to some aspects of the magic plans. The magician could only wait till news arrived.
As time went by the magician focused himself on other magic in other places which included working on a White Island just off the mainland where the magician was bringing back to life extinct monsters from the past and breathing life into old objects from history. He was also talking to the birds and the fish in the centre of an ancient town to find out how to make an interesting place for the good people of the town to walk, think and reflect on all the good things in their lives and to create a place of inspiration and relaxation for all who visited there.
There were so many other things the magician had to busy himself with, some were sowing seeds for the future, others were worth investing time and effort in doing and were paid well enough. Then there were others: turning out to be rather a drain on the magician’s time. Somehow the magician had become bewitched and a nice but stupid charm must have been placed under his pillow while he slept.
(to be cont).
The Storey of the Wise King, The Castle Builder and the Magician (cont.)
Now after many many months the Castle Builder contacted the magician and said, the Kings Representatives have asked if again the magic could be made slightly quieter. The magician agreed to make the changes reminding the Castle Builder that he was owed payment for all the plans he had prepared so far.
Again several months went past and the magician still had not received payment for the magic plans, so the magician began replying to requests from other Princes and Barons to supply magic as the magician’s funds were running lower and lower. So then in due course the magician began weaving magic in other parts of the land.
Then one day the Castle Builder contacted the magician to say that the king’s representatives were going to remove some of the magic before they started building and could the magician just make that little final change to the main part of the magic like he had agreed to. Then when that was done the Castle Builder could present the magic plans to the King with no more fuss.
So the magician made the final changes as indeed he had agreed to, and reminded the Castle Builder he was still owed money as was agreed for all his plans so far. The Castle Builder said that soon the king would agree that the main part of the magic could begin and the new letter be sent to the magician so the spells could be actually start being cast. And the magician received all the money that was owed to him for which he was very grateful.
(to be continued)
The Storey of the Wise King, The Castle Builder and the Magician (cont.)
Now the magician knew there were some bricks in the land which had curses hidden within them. And if a cursed green brick which had been laid on Lammas Day, should hear a Drover whistling as he passed by with a herd of pigs, over 15 in number. Then there was a possibility that a green brick might turn red, and possibly much worse things may occur, depending on how strong the curse within the brick. Time might suddenly stand still on one side of the street and animals start shouting at people in English and throw bread at them, thus disturbing the happy Kingdom.
The magician decided that it was not fair to ask only him to guarantee against these unforseen things, when both the Castle Builder and the King both had experts which also knew about the cursed bricks. Other strange things were in the letter: and how was it that a blackbird which inspired the spells could be owned by the Castle Builder, was it one particular blackbird or all blackbirds in the land. And was it true the magician would never ever be allowed to use the idea of blackbirds in his magic ever again? This vexed the magician.
The Castle Builder agreed that maybe the letter was a little strange and when dealing with magicians, things often took twists and turns and they agreed to carry on with the magic plans exactly as they were without the letter being signed. A new letter would be written when the magician actually had to begin making his magic and the magician would be paid as agreed for his magic.
